Photo Hiking Journal

Pinto Peak 12/15/06-12/17/06

Met a group of folks from High Sierra Topix in Death Valley for a hike to Pinto Peak. On the way to the valley, Sooz and I stopped at the crash site of a Northrop YB-49 Flying Wing. The day after the hike we checked out some petroglyphs in the El Paso Mountains.

Heading up the alluvial fan to the base of the mountains. This hike will be XC the whole way.

Looking back at the vehicles on Towne Pass.

At this point we have split up into two groups.

Robin and Randi about to start up a short climbing section.

Randi on the climb with Tom G looking down from above.

A short way past the climb we regrouped. Lewis and Tom B.

Norma and and Tom G.

Salim

Tom B again and Jim.

The Panamint Valley starts to come into view to the southwest as we gain altitude.

The group working their way up a steep section.

More climbing, this section was fun.

Still on the same section.

Taking a break after getting up the steep stuff.

Better view of the Panamint Valley from higher up.

Continuing on to the peak.

On Pinto Peak.

View to the north towards Death Valley.

View to the southwest and the ridge we followed to the peak. Tom B told us about a practice bomb he found on the ridge near the peak, Cori and I head off looking for it.

We didn't find the bomb, but Cori found the tail end of a rocket.

Cori with the old Mighty Mouse rocket she found.

Close up look at the 2.75" Mighty Mouse's four nozzles and folding fins.

Back on the peak after checking out the rocket.

Group shot on Pinto Peak at 7,508 feet.

The weather started turning ugly to the west.

From the peak, Tom G lead us to a Hellcat crash site that was about half mile north of the peak. The Hellcat impacted on the rock pile in the center of the photo and scattered on the slope on the right.

Sooz with the remains of the Pratt-Whitney R-2800-10W "Double Wasp" 18-cylinder radial that powered the F6F-5 Hellcat that crashed here on 9/2/45.

The group checking out the Hellcat wreckage. Most of the aluminum was removed years ago, but there was still a lot of stuff remaining.

Me with what remains of three of the six .50-caliber M2 Browning machine guns that the Hellcat was armed with. We also found a few shell casings. Photo by Sooz.

Sooz with one of the main landing gears.

Checking the main gear before heading down.

Taking a break on the way down.

Looking down the ridge we followed to Towne Pass.

Looked like rain falling to the north. We found out a little later that it was snow.

Almost down on the alluvial fan that will lead us back to Towne Pass.

Tom G on the upper most part of the alluvial fan. It's about a three quarter mile hike back to the pass from here. It started snowing so I put the camera away at this point.

Just as we reached the trucks the sun set and it started snowing really hard.

We drove down to Ballarat and spent the night at the campgroud there. It was windy but dry.